Get back on the boat

Thank you for the article (“Island veterans’ agent casts wary eye at donation requests,” August 18 Times) about the Veterans Support Organization (VSO). We were warned about the group at a VFW district meeting eight months ago, by the fellow, who with other real veterans, got VSO kicked out of Plymouth. They are a slick group that raised $5.7 million last year and gave $380,000 to veterans. They claim to give back 86 percent. You can do the math.

I confronted the fellow in Edgartown Sunday afternoon, and he said they had run their operation by Jo Ann Murphy (veterans agent) and she was okay with it. That is completely untrue.

After going back and forth, he admitted he got 30 percent of the bucket for participating in the scam, and he needed the extra money for his landscaping business.

Stop & Shop and the people of Martha’s Vineyard are very generous when it comes to donating to real Island veteran’s projects. The Stop & Shop manager in Edgartown had told them no, but was away on personal business that weekend so they got away with it. The Vineyard Haven S&S manager said he would not allow them to come back, after talking to Joann and me.

So, to all the supporters of veterans, please do not donate to this group and tell them to get back on the boat, if they dare come back.